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Medjugorje bishop: reported apparitions are ‘not credible’

Bishop Ratko Peric of Mostar-Duvno, in whose diocese Medjugorje is located, has issued a public statement repeating his insistence that “there have been no apparitions of Our Lady in Medjugorje.”

Bishop Peric, who has consistently argued against the validity of the reported apparitions, made a public reminder of the stance taken by his diocese, after investigation of the phenomena: “The position of the chancery of this diocese has been clear and decisive: there are no credible apparitions of the Virgin Mary.”

The bishop did not give a reason for the timing of his statement. But earlier this month, Pope Francis named Archbishop Henryk Hoser of Warszawa-Praga, Poland, as his special pastoral envoy to Medjugorje. The Polish archbishop was charged with “acquiring a deeper knowledge of the pastoral situation there and above all, of the needs of the faithful who go there in pilgrimage, and on the basis of this, to suggest possible pastoral initiatives for the future.”

In 2014, a special Vatican investigative commission concluded its four-year study of the alleged apparitions and passed on its findings to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. To date the Vatican has made no comment on the results of that study.

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Those 5 words, "pastoral initiatives for the future" tell me we are about to hear this tripe is worthy of belief. Just what we need.

Posted by: wacondaseeds4507 -
Mar. 02, 2017 10:25 PM ET USA

Catholic news reports have failed to mention that the Vatican was been very clear that when the Bishop of Mostar speaks about Medjugorje he is expressing his personal views and not those of the Church. In a May 1998 letter of Archbishop Bertone to Bishop Aubry, he states: "What Bishop Peric said … should be considered the expression of the personal conviction of the Bishop of Mostar which he has the right to express as Ordinary of the place, but which is and remains his personal opinion."

Posted by: Bveritas2322 -
Feb. 28, 2017 8:56 PM ET USA

When idiotic statements are attributed to the Mother of God, we know it is a phony event. Case closed.
Unfortunately, the Church is in such a dismal state, mindless beliefs will continue. The hierarchy is telling us our sins are not sins and not considering the consequences. Why should we expect insults to our Holy Mother are not sufficiently opposed?

Posted by: jeremiahjj -
Feb. 28, 2017 6:12 PM ET USA

I cannot sound off about something I have not experienced. The Mother of Our Lord has never appeared to me but I do not doubt she may have appeared to others. I still pray for her intercession. I had what appeared to be a "vision" of my Lord writhing on the cross. I felt surrounded by all the people who had ever lived or would live, for whom he was giving his life. I heard his cries and it seemed as though he was still on the cross. In reality, it was probably my sinful self who was there.

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